Sagnol: France defender Willy Sagnol confirmed yesterday he would be staying with German club Bayern Munich until 2010. "I have extended my contract for four more beautiful years," he told the cable television channel Canal Plus. "The club knew I wanted to think about my decision carefully. They allowed me to take my time." Bayern manager Uli Hoeness said on January 8 that Sagnol was definitely going to extend his contract with the club for another four years. Sagnol joined Bayern in 2000 and won the Champions League with them in 2001.
Adams: Former England and Arsenal captain Tony Adams will start work at Dutch first division side Utrecht today as a trainee coach. The Dutch club's website said Adams was being added to the first team technical staff on a "work placement" in a similar capacity to his recent stint at Feyenoord. "He wants to see how we work. We had a good conversation with him and he'll join us for a month and then we'll see if we'll extend his stay," said Utrecht manager Foeke Booy. Adams has been improving his knowledge and experience of European football with spells in Italy, France and Belgium.
South Africa: South Africa's key striker Benni McCarthy says his country are hoping to build on strong performances at the African Nations Cup finals to develop a competitive team for when they host the World Cup in 2010. McCarthy, who scored the winner in Saturday's 2-1 victory over hosts Egypt in Cairo in a final warm-up game ahead of the tournament, said the young side picked to play at the Nations Cup was inexperienced but full of potential. "I feel that with a bit more time and some more confidence-building results this is a side that can do well when 2010 comes around," he told Reuters.
German Police: German police have been told to smarten up ahead of this June's World Cup, shaving off three-day beards and wearing more traditional hairstyles, an Interior Ministry spokeswoman said. Weekly magazine Der Spiegel said that as well as stubble, piercings, excessive jewellery and visible tattoos, the order explicitly targeted "so-called Lagerfeld ponytails".
Primera Liga: Weekend results - Real Betis vs A. Madrid 1-0; Valencia vs Osasuna 2-0; Barcelona vs A. Bilbao; Deportivo vs Alaves 0-2; Getafe vs Celta Vigo 1-1; Malaga vs Cadiz 0-2; R. Santander vs Villarreal 1-0; Real Madrid vs Sevilla 4-2; Real Sociedad vs Espanyol 0-1; Real Zaragoza vs Mallorca 3-1. Leading standings - Barcelona 46; Osasuna 39; Valencia 36; Real Madrid 33; Deportivo 32; Villarreal 31; Celta Vigo 30; Sevilla 29; Real Zaragoza 27.
French Ligue 1: Played yesterday - Paris SG vs Troyes 2-1; St Etienne vs Toulouse - suspended after 15 minutes due to a frozen pitch; Marseille vs S. Rennes 1-0.